[Capdist-announce] PRESS RELEASE: Ancram Opera House Presents Emily Mann's STILL LIFE

[Gail Burns]

September 15, 2022

CONTACT: Gail M. Burns

www.ancramoperahouse.org

pr at ancramoperahouse.org; 413-458-4246

PRESS PHOTOS: https://tinyurl.com/3n9x233j

ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE PRESENTS EMILY MANN’S “STILL LIFE”

ANCRAM, NY [September 15, 2022] - The Ancram Opera House, in collaboration
with Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company, presents STILL LIFE,  by
internationally renowned playwright, director and producer Emily Mann, and
directed by Mann’s good friend and protegee, Jade King Carroll, who was
recently appointed Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater
Company. Performances are scheduled from September 30-October 9 at the
Ancram Opera House. Tickets are $35.

"We are delighted to have this special opportunity to collaborate with
Playhouse Creatures and Emily Mann on this important revival of her
landmark play based entirely on interviews she conducted with a vet and the
two women intimately involved in his life,” Ancram Co-directors Jeffrey
Mousseau and Paul Ricciardi enthused. “The project aligns perfectly with
our programming which centers on the direct and immediate relationship
between the performer and audience through storytelling."

STILL LIFE is a searing and revealing documentary play about the immediate
aftermath of the Vietnam conflict on a former marine, his wife, and his
mistress, gleaned from interviews and refined to illuminate the post war
experience. The play provides a poignant snapshot of America in the
turbulent 1970s–a country in the throes of an unpopular war abroad and
social upheaval at home.

“Like all great works of art, Emily’s plays are timeless and timely. Some
were written over forty years ago, and, yet, they show us ourselves in the
very moment we live in–NOW,” said Joseph Rodriguez, Artistic Director of
Playhouse Creatures.

“STILL LIFE is about three people I met in Minnesota during the summer of
1978,” Mann explained. “It is about violence in America. I have been
obsessed with violence in our country ever since I came of age in the
1960s. I have no answer to the questions I raise in the play but I think
the questions are worth asking. The play is a plea for examination and
self-examination, an attempt at understanding our own violence and a hope
that through understanding we can, as [the character of] Nadine says, ‘come
out on the other side’."

In addition to the performances of the play, there will be a free
Conversation with Playwright Emily Mann at 11 am on Saturday, October 8 at
the Opera House.

Ricciardi will also lead a free storytelling workshop for veterans only 3-5
pm on November 4, and AOH is putting out a call to the community, inviting
Vietnam veterans and family members with stories of Vietnam vets to email
info at ancramoperahouse.org if they have a story to tell as part of our Local
Characters program on our YouTube channel and website. The first
interviewee, Carole Smillie, is a Gallatin resident with an incredible
story about her late husband's journey home from his tour in Vietnam. Local
Characters interviews will be posted on the Ancram Opera House website and
YouTube page and allow the conversation with the community to continue
through the fall.

STILL LIFE premiered at the Goodman Studio Theatre in October 1980. The
same production was then produced by the Women's Project at American Place
Theatre in New York in February 1981. Under the author's direction, the
production won Obies for playwriting, direction, all three performers, as
well as for best production. The play has subsequently been performed
around the world, and in major regional theatres and universities
throughout the United States.

A stellar creative team has been assembled for STILL LIFE. Set design
is by Sarah
Edkins, AOH resident set designer since 2016, who designed the set for the
Ancram production of INVASION! last month.  Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa is the
resident lighting designer at HERE, one of New York City’s most prolific
arts organizations and, as a freelancer, has designed all over the world.
Projection Designer A-Key (Takaaki Ando) has worked in renowned spaces such
as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and MoMA. The work of Sound Designer Brendan
F. Doyle has been heard in theatres, concert halls, bars, basements, and
other venues around New England and Scotland. The stage manager is David
Bonilla, who has served as Technical/Production Supervisor at La Mama for
many years. He will be assisted by Mae Schuberth who has worked both behind
the scenes and on the stage for many productions at her alma mater and in
NYC.

This production of STILL LIFE is generously underwritten by Manon and Ian
Slome. For tickets and more information visit www.ancramoperahouse.org.

AT-A-GLANCE

Still Life

by Emily Mann

Directed by Jade King Carroll

Co-produced with Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company



Featuring

Doug Harris as Mark

Piper Patterson as Cheryl

Danielle Skraastad as Nadine



September 30-October 9

Thursday, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7p

Sundays at 2p

at AOH, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram 12502

Tickets: $35



Scenic Designer: Sarah Edkins

Lighting Designer: Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa

Projection Designer: A-Key (Takaaki Ando)

Sound Designer: Brendan F. Doyle

Stage Manager: David Bonilla

Assistant Stage Manager: Mae Schuberth



COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT



A Conversation with Emily Mann

Saturday, October 8 at 11am

at AOH, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram 12502



Free Storytelling Workshop for Veterans with Paul Ricciardi

Friday, November 4 from 3-5 pm

at AOH, 1330 County Route 7, Ancram 12502



Local Characters Program (ongoing)

Vietnam veterans and family members with stories of Vietnam vets are
invited to email info at ancramoperahouse.org if they want to participate in
our Local Characters program.



BIOS

Emily Mann (she/her), Playwright

Mann is a multi-award-winning theatre director and playwright. In her 30
years as Artistic Director and Resident Playwright at McCarter Theatre
Center in Princeton, New Jersey, she wrote 15 new plays and adaptations,
directed more than 50 productions, produced 180 plays and musicals,
supported and directed the work of emerging and legendary playwrights, and
received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Her plays
include: Having Our Say, adapted from the book by Sarah L. Delany and A.
Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth; Execution of Justice; Still Life;
Annulla, An Autobiography; Greensboro (A Requiem); Meshugah; Mrs. Packard;
and Hoodwinked (a Primer on Radical Islamism). Her play, Gloria: A Life
about the legacy of Gloria Steinem, ran Off- Broadway and aired on PBS’
Great Performances. On Broadway, she has directed her plays Execution of
Justice and Having Our Say as well as Nilo Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics and
Tennesse Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. Among her many awards, Ms.
Mann has received six Obies, a Guggenheim; a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer
Critics Circle and was recently inducted into the American Theater Theater
Hall of Fame.

Jade King Carroll (she/her), Director

In New York, Off-Broadway credits include Primary Stages: New Golden Age;
Audible/New York Theatre Workshop: Proof of Love; Lincoln Center
Institute: Autumn’s
Harvest; The Playwright’s Realm: Hello, From the Children of Planet
Earth; SummerStage:
The Etymology of Bird; and Atlantic Theater Company: Mr. Chickee’s Funny
Money. In regional theaters across the country her work has been seen at
Portland Stage, Hartford Stage, McCarter Theatre Center, City Theatre
Company, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Marin Theatre Company, Long Wharf
Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Chautauqua Theater Company, among others.
Awards include the Paul Green Award from the National Theatre Conference
and The Estate of August Wilson, TCG New Generations Future Leader, Van
Lier, SUNY 40 under 40, Gates Millennium Scholar. Jade has just been named
Producing Artistic Director of Chautauqua Theater Company.

ABOUT THE CAST

Doug Harris (he/him)

Doug Harris is an actor and writer based in New York City. NYC Credits: New
Golden Age (Primary Stages), Disco Pigs (Drama League), The Rape of The
Sabine Women by Grace B. Matthias (Playwrights Realm), The Glass Menagerie
(Masterworks Theater Company), Unity: 1918 (Project: Theater). Regional
Theater: Sheepdog (CATF) A Few Good Men (The Pittsburgh Public), It’s Only
A Play (George Street), We’re Gonna Be Okay (B Street Theater), 10x10
(Barrington Stage Co., ’20, ’21, ‘22), The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity
(Actors Theatre of Louisville), Oh, Gastronomy! (Humana Festival). Doug has
developed new works with Playwrights Realm, NYTW, The Lark, Less Than Rent,
NY Classical, Ensemble Studio Theater, CTG, Pipeline, and more. Films:
Spooky Action (upcoming 2023), December 1, 1969, The Wait, Viking Funeral.
www.dougharrisactor.com

Piper Patterson (she/her)

Piper is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Drama. She was recently seen
in an episode of Evil on CBS and had the privilege of directing Zachary
Desmond’s original play Troglobites for The Studio NY. She is excited to
join the cast of The Outsiders in January for its world premiere at La
Jolla Playhouse directed by Danya Taymor.

Danielle Skraastad (she/her)

Danielle Skraastad was last seen at AncramOperahouse performing THE
HOMEBODY by Tony Kushner. Broadway: All My Sons. Off Broadway:  Anon and
Paris  (The  Atlantic) The Mound Builders (Signature), Hurricane
Diane(NYTW/WP), The Architecture of Becoming (WP),  Intelligent
Homosexual's  Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the
Scriptures (Signature/The Public), The Wake  and A Bright Room Called Day
(The Public), The Pain and the Itch (Playwrights Horizons), Big Times
(W.E.T.), Lidless (Page 73). Regionally Danielle has worked at Two River
Theater, Premiere Stages, The Studio Theater, Berkeley Rep, Cleveland
Playhouse, Gulfshore Playhouse, The Wilma, The Kirk, People's Light,
Capital Rep/Albany, ACT/Seattle, StageWorksHudson, The Humana Festival and
more...Film/TV: 27 Dresses, Draw Up and Stare, Hard Sell , Michael Clayton,
The Business of Story, "Succession", "Speed Mating", "SVU", "L&O",
"Unforgettable","Mercy", "Fringe".  MFA NYU.

ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM

Sarah Edkins (she/her), Scenic Designer

Sarah has been the resident set designer at Ancram opera House since 2016.
Recently she designed the set for Invasion!  Earlier this year, she worked
on their revival Of An Illiad, at Shakespeare and Company, Lenox, MA. Other
shows this year include: The Land of Swollen Faces and Hide and Seek, for
Kairos Italy Theatre, at The Tank, NYC, directors, Laura Caparrotti, Jay
Stern and Carlotta Brentan. Also, an original musical, Charlotte Lucas is
27 And Not Dead, for Piper Theater Company at the Mercury Store, Brooklyn,
NY, director, Madeline Wall. sarahedkinsdesign.com.

Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa (he/him), Lighting Designer

Saegusa started stage lighting design in 2000 in Tokyo. He moved into NYC
in 2005 and became resident lighting designer of HERE.  He also works as a
Freelance lighting designer for various types of shows from NY Fringe
festival to Lincoln Center Festival in various countries from Japan to
Europe. He is a good collaborator for multimedia opera show and all sorts
of puppet shows. His credit for opera shows including “Looking At You”
(directed by Kristin Martine at HERE in 2019), “Book of the mountains and
Seas” (By Basil Twist at Copenhagen in 2021, at St Ann’s Warehouse in 2022)
and “Aunt Leaf” (Directed by Jeffrey Mousseau at HERE in 2005)  He funded
Creative Machine Stage Lighting LLC in 2016. (www.Creativemachine.lighting)

Mae Schuberth (she/her), Assistant Stage Manager

Still Life marks Mae’s first production with Ancram Opera House and Playhouse
Creatures Theatre Company! Previously, she has worked both behind the
scenes and on the stage of many productions at her alma mater, and locally
in NYC. Some favorites include: Working (ASM), The Buffoons (ASM), NYU’s
New Studio on Broadway’s 2021 Virtual Showcase (PSM), I’ll See Myself Out:
a musical revue (PSM/co-director), Cabaret (Kit-Kat & Swing), The Music Man
(Zaneeta Shinn). She gives never ending gratitude to her mentors, mates,
the Solon/Schubie squad, and of course Jcorn. Cheers!

A-Key (Takaaki Ando, he/him), Projection Designer

A-Key is a sound, lighting and projection designer based in New York City.
With over one decade of experience, Takaaki has worked in renowned spaces
such as Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and MoMA; as well as cultural
institutions and independent venues. Not only a veteran designer, Takaaki
is also an adept technical director, stage manager and production
supervisor.

Brendan F. Doyle (he/him), Sound Designer

Brendan F. Doyle is a sound designer, engineer, and artisan working
primarily in live performance applications: theatrical sound design, live
music, and bespoke audio objects. He holds a MSc in Sound Design from the
University of Edinburgh, and a BFA in Theatre Design and Technology from
Emerson College. His work has been heard in theatres, concert halls, bars,
basements and other venues around New England and Scotland. He is a proud
member of USA 829.

Mae Schuberth (she/her), Assistant Stage Manager

Still Life marks Mae’s first production with Ancram Opera House and Playhouse
Creatures Theatre Company! Previously, she has worked both behind the
scenes and on the stage of many productions at her alma mater, and locally
in NYC. Some favorites include: Working (ASM), The Buffoons (ASM), NYU’s
New Studio on Broadway’s 2021 Virtual Showcase (PSM), I’ll See Myself Out:
a musical revue (PSM/co-director), Cabaret (Kit-Kat & Swing), The Music Man
(Zaneeta Shinn). She gives never ending gratitude to her mentors, mates,
the Solon/Schubie squad, and of course Jcorn. Cheers!

About Playhouse Creatures Theatre Company (PCTC)

Playhouse Creatures an NYC-based, mission-driven, off-Broadway theatre
company dedicated to strengthening the legacy of the American theatre,
while serving the communities where we produce (both on and off stage).
Since 2009, PCTC has produced 15 mainstage productions, seven new works
series, 29 staged readings, four Tennessee Williams festivals, a world
premiere of a Tennessee Williams play (“The Recluse and His Guest”), and
several NYC premieres. PCTC has won and been nominated for 21 theatre
awards, and received The Nazareth Housing 2018 Community Service Award.

2022 SPONSORS

Ancram Opera House’s 2022 season made possible by the New York State
Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the
New York State Legislature.

AOH's storytelling initiative at Taconic Hills CSD has been made possible
through a grant from the Fund for Columbia County of the Berkshire Taconic
Community Foundation.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Ancram Center is located on unceded,  ancestral lands of the
Muh-he-con-ne-ok,  the Peoples of the Waters That Are Never  Still, and
overlooks the Roeliff Jansen Kill,  which was once called the Sonkippog
(cooling water). We pay tribute to and honor the  history of those who
precede us here.

ABOUT THE ANCRAM OPERA HOUSE

Located in southern Columbia County, the Ancram Opera House presents a mix
of contemporary theatre, alternative cabaret, and community programs. The
Opera House was erected in 1927 as  Grange #955, a chapter of the National
Grange of the Patrons of Husbandry, a  movement founded shortly after the
Civil  War to advance methods of agriculture  and address the needs of
farmers. In 1972,  the grange was repurposed as a performance  hall
presenting operatic fare.  AOH offers audiences a unique opportunity to
directly engage, up close, with visionary theatre artists at the top of
their field who are rarely seen in our region. For more information visit
www.ancramoperahouse.org.

###

Gail M. Burns (she/her)
Press Representative, Ancram Opera House
pr at ancramoperahouse.org
Gail's phone: 413-458-4246
AOH phone: 518-329-0114
https://www.ancramoperahouse.org
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